# Go up to the parent variable?

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/go-up-to-the-parent-variable/277481>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [December 12, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/go-up-to-the-parent-variable/277481 "2008-12-12T12:00:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![IanCremona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/65b543/32.png) [@IanCremona](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/IanCremona)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/go-up-to-the-parent-variable/277481/1 "2008-12-12T12:00:35Z")

</div>

on the main time like I’ve declared variable:

```
ActionScript Code:
[LEFT]newsTab.[COLOR=#000080]id[/COLOR] = i;

```

[/LEFT]

…all is well

Then I’ve got a MC on the main timeline called “worldmap”

I tried the following:

```
ActionScript Code:
[LEFT]parent.[COLOR=#000080]newsTab[/COLOR].[COLOR=#000080]id[/COLOR] = i;

```

[/LEFT]

But it is undefined

1119: Access of possibly undefined property newsTab through a reference with static type flash.display:DisplayObjectContainer.

why?

Thanks  
Ian